FKA twigs is one of the most skilled genre-benders in the world of alternative pop and electronic music these days, something she proved once again earlier this year with the excellent album EUSEXUA. On November 14, she’s expected to drop the deluxe version to this LP, Afterglow, and we just got another single for it.
“Cheap Hotel” follows “Perfectly” and plays with the hazy, slightly somber, and dreamy treatments of break beats and art pop she’s known for. The track opens up on a speedier note with a pitched-down vocal sample before melting its fast swing into a trip-hop-adjacent drawl with crisp boom-bap drums. Of course, lush synthesizers fill out the background as the English singer croons in high registers about a sneaky link-up.
The “Childlike Things” artist adds even more to this already progressive and modular cut by introducing more of a dembow rhythm about halfway through “Cheap Hotel.” Although this all sounds like a lot of phases and elements to handle on paper, the cohesive production and melodic strengths help it all feel unitary and connected.
We will see if Afterglow engages even more in these songwriting choices or goes in different directions for its other tracks. Elsewhere in 2025, FKA twigs crafted a few more notable offerings.
For example, Yeat enlisted her as a feature for his new album DANGEROUS SUMMER, which surprised many fans out there. “Cheap Hotel” shows why the 37-year-old’s artistry is so consistent, even when she ventures into unknown or typically unexpected territory.
FKA twigs – “Cheap Hotel”
Quotable Lyrics
Food and drink all night, company is nice,
Fuji, twist of lime, it’s my favorite flavor from the drug store,
Lying on the floor at the cheap hotel,
With some friends of mine, getting high,
We’ll be going all night